lets talk VBAC...

Discussion in 'Pregnancy Help' started by MSB1203, Aug 7, 2009.

  1. MSB1203

    MSB1203 Well-Known Member

    I read the sticky on it, but I'm wanting to know how many of you have had one? Was it an option for you, and if so, why or why didn't you choose to go that way? I am about 80% sure I'm going to go for a VBAC this time...my doc gave me the option, and I really want to try. Just wanted to hear from some of you on it. :)
     
  2. MNTwinSquared

    MNTwinSquared Well-Known Member

    I so wanted a vaginal birth with the twins, but my twin A was breech. So, when I got pregnant again, VBAC was on top of my 'to do' list. My doctor (who did my c-section) knew I wanted to give birth vaginally, so he did everything in his power to make it so.
    • no tears in c-section scar
    • low horizontal incision on both outside & inside
    • My reason for a c-section wasn't because labor would not progress, it was position of twin A.
    I would do it again in a heartbeat! My c-section went fine. But.. it is healthier for the baby to come through the birth canal. I wanted to experience labor. I wanted less recoop time after the baby came. And I wanted to avoid major surgury if I could help it.

    Good luck with your decision. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me. :)
     
  3. pamallhoney

    pamallhoney Well-Known Member

    I tried for a VBAC with this last pregnancy. Maybe you read the birth story. If not here's the link Finally Jubilee's Birth Story. I really wish it would have worked out for me, but I trusted God for a healthy baby and a healthy mom and this is how it turned out. I would totally recommend trying for a VBAC. At least you would never have to wonder how it could have or would have worked.

    My OB would only let me VBAC if the baby was smaller than my biggest at 9lbs 6oz. And if I went into labor by myself. He would not do an induction. However I was given a low dose of pitocin while I was laboring. Oh and ultrasounds at the end can be very inaccurate. 6 days before she was born the u/s said 8lbs 13oz. She was actually 10lbs 11oz. If I would have known or my OB would have known that I wouldn't have been allowed to attempt a VBAC.

    I really hope you'll be given the chance to VBAC!

    Oh and I just wanted to add that I had a vertical cut on the outside and a horizontal cut on the inside. Also my OB said in 50 years of practice he has only seen 2 uterine ruptures. Alot less than 1-3% that is quoted.
     
  4. pamallhoney

    pamallhoney Well-Known Member

    Oh and Melissa check out this recent thread in the Twinstuff Club forum.

    VBAC after twins?
     
  5. mom23sweetgirlies

    mom23sweetgirlies Well-Known Member

    I would much rather deliver this baby vaginally, it's healthier for baby, easier recovery (usually) and you get to hold/nurse the baby sooner. Unfortunately my hospital doesn't allow for a VBAC and since I live on an island traveling to a different hospital is out of the question. Thankfully I have been fortunate enough to have had 2 normal vaginal deliveries so at least I've had the experience. I'd say if your Dr. thinks you are a good candidate and your hospital allows it, go for it!
    BTW I have nothing against c-sections, I actually didn't think mine was that bad so I'm not too upset about having to have another one.
     
  6. nadana77

    nadana77 Well-Known Member

    This time the OB has told me I have no other choice but, to have another c-section.
    He stated that the risks of a uterine rupture could me more likely and he didn't want that to happen.
    The c-section with the twins went smooth without any complications so, knock on wood I hope this one will go smooth too.
    Good Luck :)
     
  7. Susanna+3

    Susanna+3 Well-Known Member

    I was a great candidate for vbac for two reasons...1. My first dd was born vaginally, at 8lbs 1oz. 2. The reason for my c/s was due to twins and their position not due to something like failure to progress or trouble in the pushing phase. If you go to the American College of Ob/gyn website they outline very clearly who makes the best vbac candidate and they have all sorts of statistics on what uterine rupture risks look like for different candidates and for different interventions like induction, pitocin, etc. I posted on the earlier thread cited by pamela, a pretty long post with lots of info on vbac. My doctors were as supportive as doctors can get, but doctors are trained and naturally inclined to opt for surgery. To them surgery = control which = safety. So I can't entirely blame them for feeling this way, but often times it prevents them from viewing the patient as an individual who matters and who feels strongly about their birth experience. A doctor may experience birth in hundreds of patients, but his/her patients only get a handful of these experiences in their lifetime. And they are experiences that remain cemented in the brains of most mothers forever. I believe they deeply impact moms, so I feel strongly about wanting the most positive birth experience possible.

    My c/s was a very positive experience...ironically more positive than either of my vaginal experiences. But I believe this was due to the doctor being most comfortable in the arena... unfortunately that positive experience cost me recovery time, and I also believe it caused unusual discomfort with my cycles for quite some time until I got pregnant again. That was a high cost. With every c/s the risk of complications goes up. I recently had a friend who had a pulmonary embolism after her c/s. This is something most c/s moms don't worry about, but the risks for that are comparable to uterine rupture risks for a vbac mom. The risks for a baby getting knicked by a scaple is actually much higher than the risk of UR. The risks of scar tissue adhesions from your uterus to things like your bladder or intestines go up quite dramatically with a 2nd and 3rd c/s... in fact something like 50% of women who have a second c/s will wind up with these scar tissue adhesions...and after a 3rd c/s it goes up more. This can cause discomfort during ovulation and during your period. Your risk for endometriosis goes up as well since uterine cells can be accidentally moved to the abdominal cavity during surgery. These are things most women don't know unless they go researching it. As someone who has had months of very painful ovulation and periods in the past I'm very hesitant to mess with this...my mom and grandmother both went through menopause very late in life, so I know I have at least 20 more years to deal with these symptoms. Not to mention c-section is a major surgery, the risk of infection is much, much, much less with a vaginal birth.

    Like I said in my post on the parenting board, my number one piece of advice is to do the research yourself. Don't be afraid to do it because the numbers are actually very much on the side of vbac..so long as your doctor isn't a nutcase using cytotec to induce (something that was done in the 90s, it's actually an stomach ulcer drug!! But it caused UR rates to go up to over 5% which is why many hospitals and insurers shut down vbacs... ironically cytotec can cause UR in anybody, not just a vbac patient!) But most docs who do vbacs nowadays are very much aware of the risks of induction and will either refuse to do it at all, or will require you to be significantly dilated, probably past your due date by a week, and somewhat effaced. And the number 1 litmus test of a vbac friendly doctor is whether or not he will let you go until at least 41 weeks. If he won't let you go past 40 weeks then he really doesn't know his vbac statisics or he just doesn't really want to deal with a vbac. Only half of women will go into labor on their own at 40 weeks, vbac or not, and the excuse that vbac is more dangerous for a larger baby does not ring true at all. It's never more dangerous for a larger baby. A larger baby, even over 10 lbs does not increase the risk for a uterine rupture...it does however increase the risk of a failed vbac...meaning issues in the pushing phase that ultimately lead to c/s. But it's not due to UR. So most women with GD or who have a history of very large babies are wise to consider this since it's not fun to go through all that labor only to wind up in the OR anyway. Besides all this most babies do not grow significantly after 40 weeks...in fact some babies lose a bit of weight due to the placenta which is slowing down. I personally think it's a bad idea to let any woman go past 42 weeks, but I've known lots of women who give birth from 41-42 weeks, so ideally a pro-vbac doctor will be okay with this timeframe for vbac mom as well, since there really is no added risk of UR.

    Okay another long vbac post from susanna! I did lots of research the first time around, and now I'm hoping for a better experience this time around with a midwife who is a bit more friendly towards natural labor. Ugh. I truly wish I didn't have to deal with the vbac issue at all, I'd love to get an epidural, but I'm convinced it's not a good idea for vbac.
     
  8. pamallhoney

    pamallhoney Well-Known Member

    Susanna,

    I tried to send you a email on TS, but said you couldn't receive any right now. Is your inbox full? Here's what I wrote.

    Susanna,

    I love all your VBAC posts. I so wish I could have had mine. In all your research did you come across information about trying for a VBAC after two c-sections. I don't plan on getting pregnant as quickly as I did after the twins, but we at least want one more baby in the next couple years. I think Jubilee was so big because of gestational diabetes. I was on the high end of normal at 28 weeks. I think next time I will just follow the GB diet and see if I can make a smaller baby, lol. Thanks for sharing all the information you have found about VBAC's.
    Could you please pray that the infections I have in my incision heal up. You are so right, recovery time sucks after a c-section.
    Blessings, Pam
     
  9. akameme

    akameme Well-Known Member TS Moderator

    I would encourage folks to check out The Business of Being Born - a documentary on these issues. It's very one-sided (pro-natural, etc) but it definitely brings up some interesting issues.
     
  10. MSB1203

    MSB1203 Well-Known Member

    WOW...that was a ton of info to take in! My doc is pro VBAC, so thats not an issue....the only reason I didn't vaginally deliver the twins, is b/c my blood pressure got so high in the 35th week. I don't want to sound like I don't appreciate the advice given, b/c I do, but I've read and read and done the research, and I guess I was just looking for personal stories or reasons behind why you did or didn't make that choice.

    I totally know where you are coming from Susanna...even before my section with the twins, I had ovulation pain and heavy periods. My mom had endometriosis pretty bad, and after the section, things have only gotten worse for me, so I definitely want to go for a vaginal delivery if possible. The section itself and the recovery wasn't bad at all...I could have another one and be fine, its just the aftermath of it.
     
  11. 4lilmonkeys

    4lilmonkeys Well-Known Member

    I had my oldest via emergency c-section at 36 weeks. I was toxemic and very, very ill. The actual surgery went fine, but the recovery was horrible. I'm sure part of that was just due to how sick I was, but it was just not something I wanted to do again. DH and I had some minor fertility issues, so I didn't get pregnant again until DS1 was six. My OB was quick to offer a VBAC and said I was a good candidate (emergency c-section, no pushing or labor, six years of recovery, good health, textbook second pregnancy). Honestly, I didn't even have to think twice.

    I was doing great, until the 39th week when I just stopped progressing. I'd been at 2cm for about six weeks and he just kept growing. We talked about an induction about two days before my actual due date just because we worried that if he got too much bigger, I'd end up with a repeat section. This was something she and I talked about extensively and I knew that my chances of being able to have a successful VBAC went down with induction. I agreed and decided to go ahead with it. My birth went perfectly and easily (except for the fact that he was 9lbs 7oz :lol: so it's good that we didn't wait much longer) and was an experience that I am SO grateful that I was able to have. I'd do it again if I could.

    I hope that's what you were looking for... :)
     
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